Woman sues Ocean City over sidewalk ramp mat

OCEAN CITY — A woman who says a defect in a wheelchair sidewalk ramp in Ocean City caused her to fall out of her wheelchair and break her arm is suing the resort town for negligence.

Eighty-nine-year-old Oda Wendt of Philadelphia alleges that a piece of rubber on the warning mat caused her wheelchair, which was being pushed by her daughter, to stop suddenly.

Her lawsuit, filed Aug. 20 in federal court in Baltimore, seeks $750,000 in damages. The suit says the incident occurred in June 2012.

Guy Ayres, an attorney for Ocean City, tells The Daily Times of Salisbury that Philadelphia Road, where the incident occurred, is a state road and the mats were installed by the State Highway Administration.